Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone [Book Review]
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is possibly the book that I have read more than any other (the only other contenders are either The Silver Sword or The Facts Factory by Giles Brandreth – both of which fell apart in my primary school bag). It starts a fantastic world that I could happily live in, and that both I and my children love. If you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone then you haven’t lived.
I started reading Harry Potter when there were only two sequels out, and have re-read each of the books before the next one was published. I’ve also re-read them after watching the movies. So I’ve re-read this one at least six times. It’s an awesome universe with loads of potential, and JK Rowling is good at crafting stories that make you want to keep on reading.
This is a start point to a fabulous world that is just a curtain twitch away from our own. Who’s to say that there aren’t wizards living amongst us muggles? Maybe we just don’t see the traces. That’s what keeps us reading these, and coming back to them. It’s also what makes the movies special too. Even when later books give us dark themes, there’s still a joy to be found in the courage and humanity of the characters. In the first book we get the joy of Harry finding out his real heritage, and how he is a hero amongst wizarding folk because his parents took a stand against evil and sacrificed themselves for him. That loving sacrifice not only kept Harry safe, but it made the world a safer place too. For now.
You might be asking why not five stars? Well, I keep the fifth star in reserve for the truly outstanding books, and some of the later HP works are definitely better than the first in the series.
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